The Penn's Grove record., 1887-01-15
CAT SKINS.
How They Are Used---Prfces Paid for
Them.

For the past two months valued house
cats have been missing from all parts
Of Indianapolis. In some nelghbor-
hoods the whole cat population has dis
appeared, n by one, and the house.
wives who have put their heads
t gether could evolve no explanation
for the mysterious disappearance of
their favorlte pets. Many were of the
opinion that there was an emigration
Of cats going on. However, the house,
wives were wrong, and it remained for
Mr.. George Bsecount to unravel the
mystery. A couple Of weeks since his
fine maltese cat disappeared, and, be.
ing aware of the fact that cat pelts
were marketable, he suspected that his
pet had fallen q martyr to the fashion
in lne gloves, and he at nee instituted
a search among the firms in the city
who handled pelts. Among several
hundred cat pelts at a place on West
Pearl street he found one which he
recognized as belonging to his "
Tom" Upon investigation he found
that the pelt had been bought by the
firm from some colored boys who were
strangers to them, and it was further
developed that the same gang of col
Ored young men have, within the past
two months, been selling cat pelts TO
all the pelt traders in the city. As
there is no cat rancho about the city,
the story of the many disappearance
and the selling of the hides indicates
that the young men have been killing
the animals for the money there is in
the business,
A reporter who called at one OF the
pelt establishments learned that the
pelt of a maltese cat was worth %
cents, of q spotted cat Is cents, and of
a common every day cat but 5 cents.
As most of the cats that have disap.
peared are maltese, the young rascals
have evidently been doing a lucrative
business. The different firms were
reticent about how many cat hides they
had handled this year, but were free to
admit that the number was not small.
They did not know where the pelts
came from, and never made any in
quiry. There was a small profit in the
hides to them, and they bought them
without asking any questions.
What do you do with the pelts?o
asked the reporter.
1--WE dress them and ship them East
to the manufacturers"
For what are they usedPn
"Most of them go into gloves. es-
peeially those from maltese cats. They
make among the finest gloves in the
maiket, and We have quite a demand
for such pelts. A great many pelts un-
doubtedly come back here made up,
and it is not surprising il some of our
citizens are wearing gloves made out of
theic house cat that disappeared a few
weeks since. The pelts of the common
cats are not of much use for gloves,
and where the fur Is of ordinary quail
.tv they are tanned with tt on, and the
pelts are used for trimming on cloaks,
fancy oVereoats and other like pur-
poses"
slow long has this demand for cat
relts existedl"
'Ony a few years, and it is increas.
ing all the time. for the reason, that
the pelts of the wild animals are hard
to get. Coon, mink and skunk pelts,
in fact, the pelts of all small wild ami
mails are becoming very scarce, and the
manufacturers have been compelled to
look to the domestic animals for the
material with which to supply their
trade"
Are dog pelts y%aluable?"
"Only of certain species. The pelt
of the SpitZ, the Newfoundland, and a
few other kinds are very desirable, but
they are hard to get, and We handle
but few"